Abundance of the Brook Darter, Etheostoma burri, in Selected Black River Tributaries

ABSTRACT

We determined the abundance of the recently described brook darter, Etheostoma burri, in three tributaries of the Black River, Missouri, utilizing Petersen mark-recapture methods. In tributaries located in Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park and at Mill Spring, E. burri occurred at estimated densities of 2.18 and 1.58 fish/m², respectively. These densities were similar to those reported for orangethroat darters in an Ohio stream and were intermediate-to-high in comparison to other darter species. However, no brook darters were observed at our third study site, suggesting that E. burri may also be absent from other Black River tributaries.